Thread-fastening machine



F. N. LA CHAPELLE THREAD FASTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-20,19I9. 1,404,775, Patented Jan. 3l, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. N. LA CHAPELLE.

THREAD FASTENING MAcmNE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.20,1919.

Patented Jan. 31,1922.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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MMSE@ anni; ivLa CHAPELLE, or BEVERLY, Massacnusnrrs,passreivon 'ro -Uivirnn SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, y0l? PATEK/SON, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION GF NEW JERSEY.

THREAD-FemeninanAoHinnl Specification of Letters Patent i Patented Jain. 31, 1922.

Application filed December :20,1-'91'9- Serial Nol 346,399f` l To all whom t may concern:

lie it known that I, FRED N. LA CHA- i-nimn, a citizen of the United States, resid-` ing at Beverly, in the countyofEsseX and State of iiiassachusetts, have invented certain new `and useful improvements in` Threadlfastening Machines 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thev this stitch the machine automatically cuts the thread and releases the shoe to permit the feeding of the latter to a new position. Vith this construction it is possiblev for an operator to manipulate the shoe in such a manner that the thread fastenings are inserted between adjacent tacks, although the necessity for avoiding these tacks tends to retard somewhat the insertion of the thread fasteners. Accordingly, in order to permit a rapid manipulation of the shoe it is desirable to provide some means for removing the lasting tacks should the shoe be positioned with a lasting tack located in the path of the needle.

One object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide in a machine of this type mechanism for removing from the path of the needle any tacks which maybe located in line therewith or immediately adjacent thereto prior to the insertion of the thread fastening.

Vith this object in view a feature of the invention contemplates the provision ina thread fastening machine provided with a sole support and co-operating back gage adapted to retain the shoe in position during' the operation ofthe stitch formingy mechanism, ofymea'ns for actuating the back 'gage during/each cycle of loperations of the stitch forming mechanism in a manner to cause the upper edge of the gage to remove any tack which is located in its path.'

In the simplest and most efficient formof the invention which has yet been devised-the back g'age is moved inwardly and upwardly into operative relation with the channel guide to cause the removal of the, lasting tack prior to the advancingmovement of the needle and is thereafter retainedin op-y erative position during 'the formation of the stitch. e

Still further features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the

advantages of which will be obvious y to those skilled in` the description. i

in the accompanying drawings illustrating thev preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a thread fastening machine embodying the features of the invention; Fig. 2 isa detail illustrating the back gage and operating mechanism prior tothe engagement and removal of the tack; Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating the back gage after the tack has been remove'dand in the position in which it is maintained during the insertion of the thread fastening; Fig. 4L is a detail illustrating a plan kView of the back gage and operating mechanism; andFig. 5 is a detail illustrating the combined back gage and tack puller upon an enlarged scale.`

The machine shown in the illustrated embodiment of the? invention is provided with stitch forming mechanism and means for supporting theshoe during the insertion of the thread fastener, comprising' a channel guide and aback gage which is moved toward and from the channel guide during each cycle of operations of the machine to hold the shoe in position during the insertion of the thread fastener and to release and permit the feed of the shoe at the completion' of the thread fastening. The stitch forming mechanism, as shown inthe La Chapelle patent above'referred to, passes artfrom the following y Y It sometimes happens that the operator po` sitions the shoe with a lasting tack located in the path of the needle which interferes with the insertion of the thread fastening and may damage or break the needle. Furthermore the care which must be observed by the operator in order to avoid the tacks in Vall cases necessarily retards the manipulation of the shoe by the operator and in Y consequence lengthens appreciably the time required to complete each shoe. v

Xccording to the present invention the movement of the back gage toward and from the channel guide during each cycle ot operations of the machine is utilized to remove any tacks which may be located in the path of the needle or immediatelyl adjacent thereto. At the commencement of the cycle of operations the back gage irst moves from the inoperative position in which it is located whenv the .machine is at rest down.- wardly and inwardly toward the shoe and thence upwardly .along the upper until it assumesV approximately the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings in which the tack has been removed.` During' the operation of the stitch forming instrumentalities ythe back gage remains in this posniion and at. the completion ot the thread fastening operation the back gage is retracted tov release the shoe and permit it to be ted to a new position. i

The thread fastening machine comprises a-stationary channel guide or sole support 10 and a co-operating back gage 12 providedwitha slot 14 through which a curved needle 15 passes during the formation of the stitch. The back gage is supported uponA the outer end oit a carrier 16 vmovable between guides 17 and 1S in a direction to impart the proper movements to the back gage. The gage carrier1 16 is connected at its rear end to a lever 2() fulcrumed upon the rock shaft 21; and oscillated from a path cam 23 which receives a cam roll 24C journaled upon the upper end of the lever, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. Thev forward end of the back `gage carrier is pivotally and slidably supthe cam. paths 23 and 30 is such that the back gage is caused to move in substantially i tl e path shown in F ig. 1, iirst Vmoving downwardly and inwardly toward the shoe, and then moving upwardly and inwardly to engage and remove a tack from' the shoe, this imivement` all taking place prior to the i'irst advancing movement of thel needle. During the formation and insertion ot the thread fastening the back gage is held stationary in substantially the position shown in and is thereater withdrawn at the ompletion ot the thread fastening to the retracted position shown in Fig. 1. The '.ombined back gage and tack puller is positively moved through the cycle ot operations and in order to accormnodate varying thicknesses oi between-substance and ensure a suiiicient, spacing between the back gage and channel guide ttor the proper reception of the work, the back gage operatingI mechanism is ordinarily adjusted to cause the latter to assume a position during the insertion ot the thread fastening in Y.

which the space between the back gage and channel guide is slightly greater than the thickness of theI work. rlhe operative position ot the back gage may be readily varied through the provision ot a threaded stem 35 projecting from the rear end of the carrier 16 andhaving lock nuts 36 and 37 which. are disposed upon' opposite sides of a sleeve 39 pivotally 'connected to the lower end of the lever 20, Y Y

lt will be observed from an inspectionoi' the drawings, more especially Figs. 4 and 5, that during the formation oi the thread fastening the needle 15 passes through the slot 14 in the back gage at two separated points to carry the loops of thread through the work. With the present construction a tack which may be located between the two paths ot' the needle Ais removed, 'or if located in one of the paths or immediately outside, itis. either removed or deflected so that it does not interfere with the needle. T o this end the upper end otl the back gage consists ci a pair orp wedges having apices located substantially in the paths of the movement of the needle, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. 'A tack which may be located be-A tween the apices is engaged and'removed during the advancing movement of the tack puller and a tack which is located outside of either apex is engaged by the outer inclined face yot the wedge and removed, or in any case suiiiciently deflected so that it does not interfere with the proper movements ot the needle.

iVhile it is preferred to employ the specilic construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far as speciiied in the claims, and may be changed or modified tion during the operation of the stitch form-` ing mechanism, the back gage having a tack pulling edge, andV means for actuating the hack gage during each cycle of operations o' the stitch toi-ming mechanism to advance the back gage upwardly in a direction to cause the edge to engage beneath the head ot a tack located in its path.

y 2. A thread handling machine comprising a sole support, a cooperating back gage having a tack pulling edge, and mechanism for actuating the back gage to engage beneath the head and remove a tack locatein the path oi' the gage. i

3. A thread handling machine comprising a sole support, a co-operating back gage having an upper edge adapted to engage a tack, and mechanism for moving the back gage inwardly and upwardly across the shoe to causethe gage to engage beneath the head and remove a tack located in its path.

4l. A thread handling machine comprising stitch forming mechanism including a needle, a channel guide and a cooperating back gage for positioning the shoe, the back'f gage having a tack engaging and pulling edge, and mechanism for moving the back gage inwardly and upwardly toward the shoe in a manner to cause the edge to enf gage and remove a tack from the shoe prior to the advancing movement of the needle.

5. A. thread handling machine comprising a carrier, a back lgage secured to vthe front end of the carrier and having an upper tack pulling edge, a lever connected to the rear end of the carrier and adapted to lnuove the f latter in a lengthwise direction, a second lever connected to the front end of the carlier and adapted to raise and lower the front end of the carrier, and mechanism for operating the two 4levers in timed relation to one another to impart a movement to the back gage designed to cause the upper edge to engage with and remove a tack from the shoe. v

a channel guide, a co-operating back gage having a transversey slot formed therein and an upper end adapted to engage and pull a tack, a needle adapted to pass through the slot in the back gage, and mechanism for first depressing the back gage and for thereafter elevating and moving the back gage inwardly to impart a tack pulling movement to the gage prior to the passage of the needle therethrough.

FRED N. LA CHAPELLE.

o'. A threadhandling machine comprising i 

